Farmingdale State College announced on Tuesday, June 3, that it received a $5 million commitment from an alumnus, the largest donation in school history.
The school said the donation will support a minimum of 56 students each year with four-year scholarships across all 15 majors in the School of Engineering Technology, in addition to student programming, mentorship, co-curricular resources, and experiences to attract, retain, and empower students who are less likely to pursue careers in computing, engineering, and technology, the school said.
The school announced that it will name its engineering technology school after the person who donated the money, Murray Pasternack.
Pasternack, originally from Franklin Square, graduated from the school in 1960 with an associate’s degree in electrical technology.
He founded Pasternack Enterprises as a radio frequency engineer in 1972. He went on to revolutionize the RF components market by introducing a comprehensive catalog that simplified the ordering process and set new industry standards.
Robert S. Prezant, the president of Farmingdale State College, called Pasternack a “longtime friend” and said his donation will make an impact on many students. “This historic gift will support students who might otherwise have struggled to find essential resources and will be reflected in the important contributions our students will make in an array of engineering and technology fields.”
Kenneth Lee, the dean of The Murray Pasternack School of Engineering Technology, said that the donation is about opening doors and changing lives for students.
“As an educator and engineer, I’ve seen firsthand how talent can flourish when given the right support,” he said.
Giving back to Farmingdale State College is nothing new for Pasternack. The school said he and his wife, Judy, are the largest individual donors, having donated $8.2 million over the last four years.
Pasternack’s latest donation breaks the record he set in 2022. He gave the school $1.4 million to create the Murray Pasternack Lab for Radio Frequency and Microwave Technology. There is only one other public donation in the school’s history that reached $1 million, given in 2011 by Theresa Patnode Santmann.
The latest donation is also the largest donation ever for a SUNY technology college. Farmingdale State College is the largest technical college in the SUNY system, with over 9,000 students.
“My hope is that this gift will allow engineering students the opportunity to concentrate more on their education and less on earning money to pay for it,” Pasternack said. “I know first-hand the effects and the trade-offs of trying to earn a living and getting an education at the same time and greatly appreciate an education that leads to a productive future.”
The college said students can apply for the Murray Pasternack scholarship in engineering upon their acceptance into an engineering technology program.
